Scan barcode
frogsarelovely's reviews
299 reviews
The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow
4.0
"This knight who has gotten his tales crossed and fallen in love with the witch instead of the princess."
Fantastic storytelling full of amazing characters and themes. It's a celebration of women and their struggles for equality in so many ways. Not just with witchcraft or suffrage, but with lesbian relationships, transwomen, sexwork, and so many other areas where women have struggled for equality.
Definitely one of the better witch stories I've come across. It was refreshing while still keeping all the familiar and wonderful imagery of western witches (even the pointy hats and broomsticks).
Fantastic storytelling full of amazing characters and themes. It's a celebration of women and their struggles for equality in so many ways. Not just with witchcraft or suffrage, but with lesbian relationships, transwomen, sexwork, and so many other areas where women have struggled for equality.
Definitely one of the better witch stories I've come across. It was refreshing while still keeping all the familiar and wonderful imagery of western witches (even the pointy hats and broomsticks).
Stig of the Dump by Clive King
4.0
Was nice to re-read this again! I think the first time I read was in primary school. Although after reading Lord of the Flies last year, I kept expecting this book to go in that direction ha.
Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch
5.0
The questions I have for the ending of this book have me like:
Considering The Lies of Locke Lamora is my favourite book, it's taken me a bloody long time to finally get round to reading the sequel. As expected, it was fantastic. Amazing plot of events that just get worse and worse as the story progresses (and I am living for it). Great new characters and "villains" as well. All round amazing fantasy book/series and I can't wait to read the next one.
Considering The Lies of Locke Lamora is my favourite book, it's taken me a bloody long time to finally get round to reading the sequel. As expected, it was fantastic. Amazing plot of events that just get worse and worse as the story progresses (and I am living for it). Great new characters and "villains" as well. All round amazing fantasy book/series and I can't wait to read the next one.
The Republic of Thieves by Scott Lynch
4.0
Ok so first, I still hold that Scott Lynch is one of the best fantasy writers. The characters, plot, world-building and dialogue were spectacular as usual. I enjoyed seeing characters and settings return from the first book, and I loved all of the new thespian characters.
The issues I have with the book are more down to personal preference. Mostly I didn't enjoy the romance element of this book. It takes up around 80% of the book, and going from the previous two books that focused mainly on Locke's schemes, it felt like an odd shift. The romance isn't done badly, it's good and both characters are great. I just personally don't really like romance, and so coming into that so strongly after the previous two books, with the focus on crime and other such fun stuff, I found it a bit boring.
The book also didn't feel as dense as the other two. The plot felt less complex and overlapping, and I was surprised that I managed to knock out this 700+ page book out in a few days (where as The Lies took me 3 months).
And did Jean always have this obsession with coffee? I might be remembering wrong but he seemed to have gone from zero to 100 on his coffee mentioning in the third book.
Lastly I didn't really like the twist near the end of the book concerning Locke's identity. I feel like it takes away from the image of Locke just being an orphan criminal genius with a vague background. I love that about him, and him being ordinary is what makes him so interesting. I feel like with this new information that has been overturned and he has become something much bigger. Again, this is personal preference and could all change in the next book.
Even with all those personal nitpicks, the book is fabulous as always. This is one of the best fantasy series around and absolutely worth the read. I look forward to seeing all of these characters again in the next book!
The issues I have with the book are more down to personal preference. Mostly I didn't enjoy the romance element of this book. It takes up around 80% of the book, and going from the previous two books that focused mainly on Locke's schemes, it felt like an odd shift. The romance isn't done badly, it's good and both characters are great. I just personally don't really like romance, and so coming into that so strongly after the previous two books, with the focus on crime and other such fun stuff, I found it a bit boring.
The book also didn't feel as dense as the other two. The plot felt less complex and overlapping, and I was surprised that I managed to knock out this 700+ page book out in a few days (where as The Lies took me 3 months).
And did Jean always have this obsession with coffee? I might be remembering wrong but he seemed to have gone from zero to 100 on his coffee mentioning in the third book.
Lastly I didn't really like the twist near the end of the book concerning Locke's identity. I feel like it takes away from the image of Locke just being an orphan criminal genius with a vague background. I love that about him, and him being ordinary is what makes him so interesting. I feel like with this new information that has been overturned and he has become something much bigger. Again, this is personal preference and could all change in the next book.
Even with all those personal nitpicks, the book is fabulous as always. This is one of the best fantasy series around and absolutely worth the read. I look forward to seeing all of these characters again in the next book!
The Binding by Bridget Collins
2.0
This was entertaining to read but it did feel like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind with a less good plot.
Dragon's Green by Scarlett Thomas
2.0
Trigger warnings for book:
Domestic abuse
This was so cosy and adventurous! The world was so vivid and busy, and the idea of books being powerful magical items was heart-warming and exciting. The Grandfather was also the most adorable character ever.
I wasn't a fan of the magic system at all however. I thought the whole magical currency/points system was boring and felt like a video game without the enjoyment of you playing. I appreciate it's complexity, however, for a book for younger readers. The overall structure felt a bit disconnected as well. It had a lot of different aspects that could have been a bit more fluid.
I feel like this would be a great fantasy read for younger people, however I didn't connect with it all too well. It was still a fun, light read nonetheless!
Domestic abuse
This was so cosy and adventurous! The world was so vivid and busy, and the idea of books being powerful magical items was heart-warming and exciting. The Grandfather was also the most adorable character ever.
I wasn't a fan of the magic system at all however. I thought the whole magical currency/points system was boring and felt like a video game without the enjoyment of you playing. I appreciate it's complexity, however, for a book for younger readers. The overall structure felt a bit disconnected as well. It had a lot of different aspects that could have been a bit more fluid.
I feel like this would be a great fantasy read for younger people, however I didn't connect with it all too well. It was still a fun, light read nonetheless!
The Surface Breaks by Louise O'Neill
2.0
Feminist twist on the original Little Mermaid story. I really liked the ending and I loved the message that the Sea Witch gave. I loved how dark it was too, I definitely want to read the original now!
I wasn't a fan of the characters however, I felt like most of them didn't develop or learn, and the main character's development happened in a matter of pages. The dominating man also seemed to be silenced way too easily which I feel is unrealistic to those suffering with such characters themselves. Also the world seemed a bit clumsy. For instance, why would mermaids have 'Saturdays' and any concept of minutes when I doubt they have any time pieces in the sea. Also the fact they're meant to know hardly anything about humans but already know the words for cake or planks of wood. It just seemed very inconsistent in that regard.
In all however I thought it was an interesting and entertaining retelling. I think it has a lot of important messages concerning sexism, equality, and strength. Though it would have been great to see more messages for men too... as a lot of the men were just branded as weak and made to look pathetic. We need strong female characters but we also need good male characters.
I wasn't a fan of the characters however, I felt like most of them didn't develop or learn, and the main character's development happened in a matter of pages. The dominating man also seemed to be silenced way too easily which I feel is unrealistic to those suffering with such characters themselves. Also the world seemed a bit clumsy. For instance, why would mermaids have 'Saturdays' and any concept of minutes when I doubt they have any time pieces in the sea. Also the fact they're meant to know hardly anything about humans but already know the words for cake or planks of wood. It just seemed very inconsistent in that regard.
In all however I thought it was an interesting and entertaining retelling. I think it has a lot of important messages concerning sexism, equality, and strength. Though it would have been great to see more messages for men too... as a lot of the men were just branded as weak and made to look pathetic. We need strong female characters but we also need good male characters.
Heroes: Mortals and Monsters, Quests and Adventures by Stephen Fry
5.0
This is a fabulous retelling of some of Greek Myths most famed heroes. Stephen Fry does a fantastic job of shaping events, highlighting the humanity in the characters, and adding in his own humour which had me laughing out loud throughout the book. While it can be tricky to untangle the myths, Fry has made them easy to follow, making it perfect for anyone wanting to get into Greek Myth.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling
5.0
Loved it. Starting to see more dissimilarities with the movies now but I loved the differences. Remus and Sirius are still a power team that I adore as characters. Hagrid is amazing in this. Just loved it all.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling
5.0
I'm just having a great time reading all the Harry Potter books for the first time.
Very different from the movie and I loved the added bits that I didn't know about before. There are definitely scenes I wish had been included (e.g. seeing Barty Crouch on the Marauders Map, Hermione's SPEW, Fred and George working towards their shop, all of the Sirius scenes).
Very different from the movie and I loved the added bits that I didn't know about before. There are definitely scenes I wish had been included (e.g. seeing Barty Crouch on the Marauders Map, Hermione's SPEW, Fred and George working towards their shop, all of the Sirius scenes).